A Friend In Need
by Jillian of Lore
Summary: What happens when Knuckles leaves for a mission and is possibly dead? Is Shadow going to be there for Rouge? A two shot. Mostly shadowXrouge FRIENDSHIP! and  of course  knucklesXrouge. rated for possible language. R
1. Chapter 1: The Phone Call

Rouge was curled up oh her couch reading the latest magazines, or at least that's what she wanted to convince everyone she was doing. When in actuality, she was worrying about a certain red echidna.

Team Sonic was on a mission. This wasn't out of the ordinary, they were always on missions and always coming back in time for dinner. But this mission was different, not more dangerous, just different. Team Sonic was asked to do a space mission, which alone was quite different then what they were used to but the mission also would probably take at least a couple months _just _to get there.

So not only was she worried for his safety, but she also _missed_ him. Rouge would never admit that to anyone, she barley admitted it to herself.

She only snapped back to reality when her roommate spoke, "This yours?" Shadow asked. He was holding the magazine that Rouge was 'reading'.

"It fell." Rouge muttered. She grabbed it from his hands.

"You were sitting there for about a minute, and you didn't notice it. So its either a _really _boring article, or your worried." Shadow said while sitting down on the other end of the couch "I'm betting on the second one."

"Hah! Actually, I was shocked! You see I found out that my favorite show is getting canceled and I-" Rouge was interrupted by the ringing of the phone.

"I got it." Shadow said and glided into the other room.

When she was sure that Shadow was out of view she took out the necklace that she hid under her shirt. It was simple: an old bronze and gold ring that hung on a golden chain.

Knuckles gave it to her before he left, she remembered the day so vividly:

_They were all gathered around the X-Tornado, it was updated and now about twice its size and looked like a quite comfortable spacecraft._

_But no one was adoring the plane/ship, they were to busy saying fair well to their three friends: Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. _

_Sonic was being harassed by Amy making incredibly difficult and almost impossible promises. Tails was getting gifts and hugs from all his friends and even Knuckles was exchanging a few words here and there. _

_They were about to board the ship, and Rouge knew it was now or never: so she pulled Knuckles out of the crowd and to the other side of the ship._

_Instead of saying anything, she just put out her hands and hoped he would take the present and leave, but no such luck._

"_Bat girl?" Knuckles looked at her "what are you-" he looked at the object in her hands, "what's that?" _

_Rouge just pushed the gift into his chest, blushing. When he finally took it she tried to fly off, but Knuckles grabbed her wrist, not letting her leave. _

"_It a good-luck bracelet." she said avoiding eye contact. _

_He just looked at her for a few moments, then at the bracelet; it was three different color ropes, white, green and white braided tightly together, and tied at the end. He removed his glove, showing the real spikes that stick out of his knuckles, he put the bracelet on and put the glove back on._

"_Thanks," he half-whispered._

_Rouge was about to leave again, but Knuckles stopped her once more. She looked at him curiously, and then she saw him pull something out of his pocket._

"_Here," he said, placing the ring in her palm "my grandfather gave it to me and-" Knuckles couldn't finish his sentence, because Rouge amerced him in a tight hug._

"_Promise me that you'll be safe, please…" she was on the verge of crying._

_Knuckles who was now hugging her back said "I promise." _

She played with the ring in her fingers, it said something, but in another language. 'When he comes back,' she thought 'I'll ask him to translate it.'

Without knowing it, a single tear escaped her left eye.

Her attention left the ring when she heard Shadow say "Sure, I'll tell her" _click. _

Rouge quickly out the ring back under her shirt, "Who was it? GUN? A mission?" she asked.

"No," Shadow said. He had his hands in his pickets and he was looking at the floor.

"What's up?" Rouge questioned, normally a telephone call doesn't bring Shadow down, unless its really bad news…

"Its Sonic and the others."

Her eyes widened, hoping that he was just glum that they were returning, but deep down she knew that wasn't the case.

"Their ship went missing." Shadow, said the words and if they physically hurt him, wincing at the word _missing._

"No, no, no…" Rouge kept repeating the words, as if they would change the truth.

Shadow went up to her "Rouge-"

"NO!" she screamed, and that's when the tears started. She sobbed into her hands at first still repeating the word. Then she felt hands embracing her, she was now sobbing onto Shadows red shirt, her arms automatically went around him.

They just sat there for what seemed like hours, and probably was, they never said a word.

When Rouge stopped crying he still held her, like both their lives depended on it, "They could still be alive." she said to her, no real emotion detectable in his voice.

After another long pause, Rouge got up, "I'm going t-to be-bed."

Shadow didn't say anything, he just sat on the couch, he stayed there for another good three hours. When he looked at the clock it was 4am "Damn." he said, not really referring to the time, but the whole days events.

On the way to his room he passed Rouge's door. That's when he heard the mumbling, it was very quiet out in the hallway, so he silently made his way into her room and over to her bed, that's when he could make out what she was saying

"You promised…You promised…You promised…" she chanted.

Shadow noticed that she was crying too, so he decided to wake her up.

When her eyes opened they were swollen and red, she looked at him, and more tears ran down her face. He hugged her, and they spent the next 13 nights like that.

* * *

HAHA! my very first KNOUGE! yays! *happy dance*

also, could you guys check out my other story? Got You, another Sonic fic. If you do I WILL LURV YUH FO EVAH!1!one!


	2. Chapter 2: Any Time

Her life seemed to be a cycle: Wake up with Shadow, be depressed, go to bed with Shadow. And this day didn't seem like exception.

He went out shopping for groceries, and when he came back she was right where he left her. 'She could pass as a statue.' he though. When he was in the middle of making his specialty: random crap put on bread, the phone rang.

"I got it." he said, but there really wasn't any point, even if he _asked_ her to pick the phone up she wouldn't. He used his free hand to pick up the phone the other busy holding the many food items for the sandwiches, "Hello?"

Normally, Shadow isn't clumsy, he barley ever chips a cup. So naturally, when the phone came smashing to the ground, along with various cold cuts, jars, bottles and eggs, Rouge got a tat bit curious.

When she walked into the kitchen the mess was there but Shadow seemed to not notice it since he was on the other side of it looking through papers and other odd objects.

"Where the fuck are they?" he yelled at what seemed like the counter. Rouge was about to leave, when he screamed "Oh not your not! WE are going somewhere! IF I COULD JUST FIND THOSE MOTHER FU-" he picked up the car keys that were laying in-between two jars "Thank you Lord!"

He grabbed her arm and ran out their door, not even bothering to lock it.

They were at the elevator when Rouge said "Shadow I-"

He looked up from the button he was pressing, what seemed like one million times a second, to her. "NO! You _are _going! This is not a choice!"

"Yes but-"

"Not buts! We are-"

"Shadow!" she yelled "I don't have any pants on!"

He looked at her, and she was correct. All she was wearing was his over sized jersey, no pants in sight.

He laughed, and she did too, they were both laughing. Something they haven't done for a long time

When she put on a pair of baggy jeans they rushed into the car and _drove. _

Shadow refused to tell her where they were going, all he said that it was a surprise. But after a little bit, she was able to tell the route they were taking, even if they were going about 100 past the speed limit and everything seemed to blur; they were on their way to Tail's garage.

She was preparing for everything except for what was actually there. Rouge was thinking along of the lines of; funeral or memorial. But what she arrived at was something very different indeed.

It was a celebration.

She was about to question what the hell people were doing when she saw him; he was wearing no shirt, or gloves, but she did see the bracelet that she made him, he also had on baggy black cargo pants on.

He noticed her and gestured upwards to the roof, it took and moment, but she understood and nodded.

A few moments later she was on the roof. It started raining when she and Shadow were on their way here and now it was pouring. She didn't care though, not about her hair, make-up or cloths, all she cared about right then and there was him.

And then she saw him.

She flew as fast as she could to him and rat to her. She flew right into him sending them both falling, Knuckles was on his back and she was on his chest.

He didn't waste time, as soon he understood his surroundings he kissed her. They stayed like that for a while only breaking apart to breath.

Then when they both stood up, she slapped him across the face.

"What the hell was that for?" he yelled rubbing his cheek.

"Making me think you were dead!" Rouge couldn't help but smile.

Knuckles smiled too, "But I kept my promise didn't I?" He kissed her again, "I didn't actually get hurt. After a battle, all the ships equipment that could let people find or contact us was dead. We also went back on a different course so it would have been hard to locate-"

He couldn't finish because Rouge was kissed him again, he didn't object.

She got home late, Knuckles dropped her off. And when she entered she saw Shadow cleaning up the mess that he made earlier that day.

"Change your cloths. Their soaking wet, you can get sick." he said when he saw how drenched she was.

Rouge smiled, "Okay." she walked past him, and without looking at him she said "Thank you, Shadow." When she was in the safety of her room Rouge took out the ring from under her shirt and looked at it, Knuckles had translated it earlier it said _Truth and tears clear the way to a deep and lasting friendship, _she thought of Shadow, then whispered "Thanks for everything." she had said it out loud, but not loud enough for him to hear.

Shadow was on the floor, whipping up the residue of the mayonnaise and ketchup, he smiled and also whispered, "Any time, friend."

* * *

_~~FIN~~_

Okay, so what did you think? good? bad? not my best work... how oh well! i LOVE shadow/rouge friendship! SO MUCH!

please leave a comment! no need to be shy! and tell me the truth! what need improving, what was good etc.

hugs, kisses & love~!

lemmony


End file.
